JOINED AT THE HEART
Perhaps the most prominent is JOINED AT THE HEART by Al and Tipper Gore. Our former Vice President and his wife look deeply into the effects of overwork, over-scheduling and time pressure on the American family, presenting powerful arguments and data. They call for a campaign to regain balance in American life between work and family and for new national policies that could help turn us in the direction of balanced lives. Here's hoping they'll mention TAKE BACK YOUR TIME DAY as they travel around the country promoting their book and speaking about this issue!

PUTTING FAMILY FIRST
On the impacts of over-scheduling on American families and what to do about it, we recommend PUTTING FAMILY FIRST, a new book by William Doherty, professor of family studies at the University of Minnesota and a member of the TBYTD steering committee and Barbara Carlson, co-founder of the organization, Putting Family First, in Wayzata, Minnesota. Bill and Barbara have also written a chapter on this subject for the TAKE BACK YOUR TIME DAY handbook, but for the full story, give their excellent new book a read.

MARRIED TO THE JOB
For an in-depth psychological study on the over-attachment that Americans have to work and its roots, pick up Ilene Philipson's insightful MARRIED TO THE JOB. Using case studies and lots of data, Philipson shows clearly the ways in which we use work to try to meet unfulfilled emotional and relationship needs, throw ourselves deeply into jobs -- over-working at the expense of many other parts of our lives -- and often end up feeling betrayed when we are laid off or treated badly in the workplace. Philipson, a therapist and former UC-Berkeley professor presents a thought-provoking and disturbing picture of our obsession with work and the ways by which market values have invaded all aspects of our lives.

WORK TO LIVE
Finally, if you think other countries get a lot more time off than we do, you're not mistaken. Find out just how much in Joe Robinson's groundbreaking new book, WORK TO LIVE. Robinson is the founder of the Work to Live Campaign in Santa Monica, California (www.worktolive.info). He is campaigning for national legislation that would give Americans a minimum of three weeks of paid vacation after a year on the job and four weeks after three years, bringing us closer to the standards in the rest of the industrial world. Robinson's book combines good data with great stories and lots of humor; in my (John de Graaf) humble opinion, the most powerful chapter, "Lay Down the Law" is by itself worth the price of the book.
Speaking of vacation time, Washington State Senator Karen Keiser, communications director for the Washington State Labor Council, has sponsored a minimum paid vacation bill that will come up for a vote in the Washington legislature this year. Keiser says her research shows that nearly half of all Washingtonians received no paid vacation time at all last year!

WHAT KIDS REALLY WANT THAT MONEY CAN'T BUY
Tips for Parenting in a Commercial World
By Betsy Taylor (Warner Books, 2003)
WHAT KIDS REALLY WANT THAT MONEY CAN'T BUY is an excellent book by one of the chapter authors of the Take Back Your Time handbook. Incorporating the artwork and stories of thousands of children who were asked what they really want that money can't buy, Taylor demonstrates that despite children's pleas for material goods, what they actually desire are time, love and attention. After laying out the problems, a billion dollar-a-year marketing industry targeting children and parents who are busier than ever, Taylor offers compassionate, active and practical advice on how to negotiate children's pleas for "things", how to help children become astute and responsible consumers and how to cultivate family time that doesn't involve spending money. The chapter, "Happy, Healthy Holidays and Celebrations" encourages families to take back the holidays from rampant consumerism and presents a host of creative and unconventional gift ideas, including suggestions for gifts of time and experience. Reviewed by Mark Schindele.
Betsy Taylor is the founder and former president of the non-profit family organization Center for a New American Dream. All author proceeds go to support the work of the Center.

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LIVING SIMPLY WITH CHILDREN
A Voluntary Simplicity Guide for Moms, Dads and Kids
Who Want to Reclaim the Bliss of Childhood and the Joy of Parenting
By Marie Sherlock (Three Rivers Press, 2003)
Are you and your children consumed by consumerism? Would you like to win your kids back from the mass media and the savvy marketers who are constantly selling them dissatisfaction? Want to get off this merry- go-round? Learn how to free yourself and your kids from the shackles of consumerism. Learn how you and your kids can have more time together by practicing voluntary simplicity. This is the time of year when we all tend to think a little about our level of consumption. We all long for a simpler holiday season but may be unsure how to achieve it. To learn how, Marie has a great chapter on "Simple Holidays." This common sense guide sheds light on the truths and myths of simple living and how you can incorporate voluntary simplicity into your family. Marie is a wonderful writer who offers a wealth practical tips and strategies, plus stories from her own family and others practicing voluntary simplicity. I highly recommend this book!! Reviewed by Mark Schindele.

A SIDEWAYS LOOK AT TIME
by Jay Griffiths (NY, Tarcher Putnam, 2002)
This is a wonderful cross-cultural and historical look at approaches to time by a young British writer, who now lives in Wales. Jay Griffiths writes with unusual skill and frequent humor, dissecting our attitudes about time and how we got into the time-urgent shape we're now in. She dares challenge our popularly-accepted axioms about growth, power and progress and asks us to look with humility at what older, slower cultures may have to teach us. This is no simple text: incredible research across disciplines went into writing it. But the result is readable and clearly presented. A tremendously thought-provoking, not-to-be-missed book -- if you have the time. Reviewed by John de Graaf & Gretchen Burger.

A MINUTE OF MARGIN: RESTORING BALANCE TO BUSY LIVES
by Richard Swenson, MD (Colorado Springs, Navpress, 2003)
Here's the (seemingly) opposite of Jay Griffith's book -- 180 excellent short essays designed to be read separately, one a day, for those with little time. And Dr. Richard Swenson's easy to read homilies come squarely from the western, Christian perspective. Nonetheless, his message is much the same as Griffith's: our society is way out of balance, going too fast, too awash in material things, for our health and a decent future for our children. As a doctor, Swenson has seen what overwork, over-scheduling and time urgency do to our health, and he also understands that time is a family value. These essays are short, but deep and full of value. You'll want to ponder them and act on your thoughts. Reviewed by John de Graaf & Gretchen Burger.

PUTTING WORK IN ITS PLACE: A QUIET REVOLUTION
by Peter Meiksens and Peter Whalley (Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press, 2002)
This is an excellent look at alternatives to overwork and time poverty. Meiksens and Whalley look at how dozens of Americans have won different, more flexible, alternative work arrangements and are shaping changes in the work-place toward more customized work schedules and greater acceptance of part-time work. The case studies presented in this book offer hope that change is possible and that all of us may have more power in the workplace than we think. Reviewed by John de Graaf & Gretchen Burger.

TIME OFF! THE UNEMPLOYED GUIDE TO SAN FRANCISCO
by Dean LaTourrette and Kristine Enea (San Francisco, Leisure Team Productions, 2004)
If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair and... read this book. It's a wonderful guide to how to spend your leisure time there and as such is very useful for tourists. But its real purpose is to show San Franciscans that unemployment isn't necessarily a disaster, and that leisure has value. This book is neither fish nor fowl, a mix of very specific tips about living well on less in San Francisco, and broader philosophical points about the value of leisure time -- including tips on "leisurely job hunts," "working smart instead of long" and "getting political" -- one of the suggestions being to join the Take Back Your Time movement! The book is beautifully designed and eye-catching. It makes one jealous of San Francisco for having such a book; every city needs one! Reviewed by John de Graaf & Gretchen Burger.

THE PARADOX OF CHOICE
by Barry Schwartz (Ecco Press, 2004)
This book promises much, then disappoints, but is still worth reading. The problem of over-choice as a time sink is a huge one for our movement. Psychologist Barry Schwartz demonstrates clearly that despite a doubling of material possessions, the average American is actually less happy today than in the 1950s. He pins much of the blame on that which our society seems to deeply believe is the meaning of freedom -- our vast choice between consumer goods and services. He shows how our ever-expanding choices leave us time urgent and anxious about the decisions we make.
The strength of this book is that Schwartz makes this case using powerful research examples. He shows how we are disempowered by too much choice and kept from paying attention to the more important things in life -- relationships especially. What is unfortunate is that the book offers only purely personal solutions -- try not to be a perfectionist where choice is concerned, for example.
Schwartz arrogantly dismisses the voluntary simplicity movement (a natural ally for him) by associating it with the glossy commercial publication, REAL SIMPLE (more aptly titled REAL CYNICAL), without the slightest acknowledgment that simplicity activists consider the magazine a co-optation, and seemingly, without any real look at what actual movement books and publications have to say. Finally, he fails to look at the areas of life where Americans have very little choice -- working hours, for example -- a search that would have strengthened his case that much of our vaunted freedom of choice is not very meaningful.
Notwithstanding these criticisms, Schwartz's analysis is mostly on target -- and his nausea-inducing description of the over-choice in American supermarkets is priceless. Let's hope our movement can make common cause with him to get Americans thinking harder about what's most important in life. Reviewed by John de Graaf & Gretchen Burger.

HAYMARKET, A NOVEL
by Martin Duberman (NY, Seven Stories Press, 2003)
Want the real story of the first great battle for shorter work hours in the United States? This compelling page-turner is one place to begin. Duberman's novel follows the lives of Alfred and Lucy Parsons, as they migrate from Texas to Chicago in the 1870s and then get involved in the great labor movement that brought 500,000 American workers into the streets on May Day, 1886, in demonstrations for the eight-hour day. HAYMARKET brings to life the brutality of the time and the courage of those who helped win what we now take for granted and in some cases, are losing. Framed for a bombing they didn't commit, Alfred Parsons and three other labor leaders were sent to the gallows in 1887, the first martyrs for shorter work-time in America.
One reason we've chosen to hold our first national conference in Chicago is that it was the center of the first fight for the eight-hour day in America. We plan to offer a "Haymarket tour" to the site where the bombing occurred and the cemetery where the Haymarket martyrs are buried--on Sunday afternoon, June 13th, for those who wish to stay on a couple of hours after the end of the conference.
Read this book if you're coming to Chicago (to get a sense of the rich labor history in the city), or even if you're not. It's a hard one to put down, and should be made into a major motion picture. Reviewed by John de Graaf & Gretchen Burger.

HUG AN ANGRY MAN AND YOU WILL SEE HE IS CRYING
by Sean Casey Leclaire (Concord, MA, Red Spiral Books, 2003)
Through poems and stories, Leclaire takes us through a journey of self exploration, from the pain of addiction to the freedom of healing and transformation. This is no soft pedaled self help book but a raw account of what it means to slow down and turn inward, to unfold and come undone. At the height of a successful advertising career, Leclaire leaves for what becomes a three year sabbatical where he finds lessons and teachers in the most unexpected places. In the poem "If I Stopped" Sean meditates on slowing down and he's offered to share it with the Time Day community. Reviewed by John de Graaf & Gretchen Burger.

ADDICTED TO HURRY; SPIRITUAL STRATEGIES FOR SLOWING DOWN
by Reverend Kirk Byron Jones (Judson Press, 2003)
Consider "relishing" instead of rushing. Consider "savoring pace" instead of rat race. Addicted to Hurry is a short but packed primer about the physical, emotional and spiritual consequences of a hurried life. With exercises at the end of each chapter, it is also a guide of how to stop "living our lives as though we are being chased." Through the use of scripture, poetry and his own life experiences, Jones deconstructs our culture of speed: "hurry is not an innocent and inevitable consequence of modern life. Chronic hurry is a serious malady of mind, heart, and soul putting at risk our relationship with God, each other, and ourselves." Reverend Jones was a member of the Time Day steering committee and now serves on our advisory board. Reviewed by John de Graaf & Gretchen Burger.

TURN IT OFF
by Gil Gordon (Three Rivers Press, New York, New York, 2001)
This book is a great resource for taking back your time. As we know, technologies such as laptops, cell phones, pagers and fax machines have blurred the lines between work and leisure/family time. Gil Gordon's TURN IT OFF contains a wealth of practical and helpful tips to reestablish these boundaries. By using charts, graphs and questionnaires, Gordon breaks down the week to illustrate how you may presently be using your time and shows how after you turn it off, you can have more time for your real life. I especially liked his advice for telecommuters on how to structure the workday in your home office. By using an imaginary commute to make the transition between work and family time you can just say no to running for the phone in the middle of dinner, or while helping your child with her homework-- let the machine pick up! I'm off work now! TURN IT OFF also offers sensible advice on how to talk to your boss, your clients and co-workers on the decisions you have made surrounding your time away from the job. I would highly recommend TURN IT OFF to anyone who feels like a slave to today's work saving devices. Reviewed by Mark Schindele.

SIMPLICITY
by Bill Jensen (Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, MA, 2000)
SIMPLICITY is more than a movement toward the life of an ascetic. For today's manager over-complexity and decision over-stimulation can be a thief of time. If our work life can become more efficient and productive we enable ourselves to devote more time to the other important aspects of our lives. By keeping an organization's goals clear and simple this can be achieved. These are the messages of Bill Jensen's SIMPLICITY. This engaging book offers solutions to today's hectic work place with humor, insight and common sense. Reviewed by Mark Schindele.

WORK 2.0
by Bill Jensen (Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, MA, 2002)
Your time is valuable, even in a troubled economy. Bill Jensen understands. He knows today's workers want nothing more than to have their time valued by their employers. "Don't waste my time and don't waste my talents" is the cry of the modern worker. As in SIMPLICITY, Jensen's writing is a clear, humorous and wise. I really enjoyed this book it's a great asset to help take control of your time at work. Reviewed by Mark Schindele.

A JOURNEY OF WORK-LIFE RENEWAL: The Power to Recharge & Rekindle Passion in Your Life
by Bonnie Michaels & Michael Seef, Managing & Work Life, Inc., 2003
Are you burning out burning the candle at both ends? Not ready to retire? Don't want to drop out. Consider the option chosen by work-life consultant Bonnie Michaels -- renewal. After convincing her husband Michael of the benefits of taking a yearlong renewal period, she and Michael embarked on a globetrotting journey of enlightenment and revitalization. The couple didn't spend their time lounging on the beach 24/7-- instead they chose to volunteer and live like the locals. This practical guide takes you on the journey with Bonnie and Michael and provides insight to all the joys, trials and tribulations they encountered. Upon their return they found themselves refreshed, changed and ready to take on their lives. The book provides a wealth of how to and resource information. Take Back Your Time through seeing life anew. Reviewed by Mark Schindele.